Cttbrewt-motoil



W. R. BAILEY.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1911.

1,317,538. Patehtedgept. 30,1919.

T1 or. 5. A

Inventor Witnesses, v a 4' H 4 WrLLIAM R. BAILEY, or Los nrfenizns, CALIFORNIA.

CURRENT-MOTOR. 1

Specification of Letters ifatent. Patentd S ept 7 Application filed m 6, 1917.1 senaino. 178,992. 7

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R; BAILEY, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Los Angeles, in the. county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Current-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to current motors and more particularly to current motors adapted'forinstallation in streams such as creeks, riversaqueduots and the like, and the invention has for its object to provide a motor of the character stated which will be relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and organization when its superiority in efliciency and durability are considered,

In accordance with the invention a divided scow is preferably provided and such scow is arranged to have its main portion anchored or otherwise secured in position in a stream and a band, chain, belt or the like or plurality of such band devicesinay be mounted for traveling about the other portion of the scow, suitable sprockets or pulleys being provided to that end; the band device or devices may be provided with a lurality of spaced vanes which are mounted in such manner that they may feather on the side moving against the stream and project laterally from the band devices to provide :Eorthe impingement of the water there onas they' are moved by the same; The sprockets, pulleys or the like, cooperating with the band are mounted at the ends of the smaller scow' portion against which the bands may lie, and such smaller scow portion preferably extends obliquely athwart the stream being united to the main scow portion as by means of supporting members such as timbers applied at the upper portions of the scows at the lower portions of such scows, suitable shafts for the sprockets or thelike being provided. A channel for the vanes as they are being returned up stream is provided between the scows, and

a deflector is arranged at the bow of themain scoW for directing water against the values as they successively round the forvvar-d end ofthe smaller scow portion. The vanes are, as before stated, adapted to featheras they are returned up stream and the same are provided with suitable hinge means whereby connection is made with the endless band or bands and such hinge means are arranged to permit feather ing when the vanes are drawn through the water by the band and provide rigid abutments forthe vanes when the water is di-" rected against thesaIne to ropel theband orbands. The sprockets being secured to suitableshafts mounted in connection with the scows; power may be converted into'electrical. energy or other forms of energy to facilitate transmission to the shore or point of use of such power or energy.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, combination, asso+ ciation and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed out inthe claim.

. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary lanview of a current motor organized in accordance I with the invention;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation a the showing in Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrow near Fig.- 1.; s

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a fragment of one of the chains shown in the other figures, and upon an enlarged scale;

Fig.4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the chains shown in the other figures, andillus'trating the hinge construction;

dFig. 5 is a sectional detail view of one of the sprockets, the view being upon a still further enlarged scale on the line m of Fig,

' ment B; D clesig'natesmean for supporting the rearward portion of the element B; E designates power transmitting mechani m, and F": desi nates a deflector for directing fluid toward the element B;

The scow A comprising the portions a and a is suitably formed to meet the require ment of any given installation, and the portion a1is spaced from the portion was by means of timbers or frame members 7 and 8 sultably secured to the scow portions to hold the same in assemblage and with the scow portion a spaced from the scow por tion a to provide a channel 9; between the same, other frame members 10 and 11 being provided-beneath the scow. The edgeof the 'scow portion a at the channel 9.'ranges obliquely athwart the stream as at 12 and the scow portion a lies parallel to such edge 12. The portion a is formed to fill the space between the -means C and D, being curved i at itsends as at 13 and 14 to accommodate the sprockets of the means C and D. l At its sides 15-and 16 the scowportion a is pref erably flat and conforms'to the path of the element B, the chains of which'element are adapted to ride in channel irons 17 secured as at 18 to the sides 15 and 16 of the scow It will be understood that the portion a. I scow portions are preferably arranged with side, end and top and bottom members so *that each forms a box-like floating struc 25 ture. V

The elementB comprises in the form of I the invention shown in the drawing,a plurality of chains 19, certain links 19 oflwhich are provided withlateralextending abutments 19F, and have pivot-receiving apertures 19 provided in bosses '.19 ;arranged I forwardly ,of said abutnient's, :and a plurality of vertically-disposed vanes 20 pivotally secured one to each link 19%: The vanes 20 may be built uplof wooden-panels 20 and hinge members 20?, which hinge'members are each provided with an orifice20through which a pivot pin 2O passes, such pivot pin :likewise passing through the orifices. 19 of I the respective vlinks 19?, so that the vanes have a hinge-like connection each with a link 19?. vThe hinge members 20 are adapted to lie against thechains during certain phases'of movement ofthe vanes and to lie against the respective abutments l9 during impulse-receiving action. thereby to cause movement of the element B. Three chains 19- areshowmbut it will be understood that any number required in a given installation may be employed, or flexible members other than chains, such as wire ropes or the like, may be employed in substitution for the chains. The supporting means C comprises a power shaft 21, and aplurality of sprockets 22, one such sprocket 22 being provided for each of the chains 19. The powershaft '21 is mounted at its-lower end in a suitable bearing provided at the respective end of a V g timber 23 whichlies along the'lower surface of the scowportionu and; projects beyond the curved end 13 of thesame and suchshaft 21 is mounted at its upper-.end i-n asimilar bearing provided in an upper timber or member 24 ;Wl11Cl1 ranges along the upper surface of the scow portion a andpro1ects over thecurved end 13, vthe shaft 21 extending through its bearing in the timber 24: and being provided at such projecting end with a beveled pinion 25. Each of the sprockets 22 is provided with teeth 22 adaptedto take into chain, links and each sprocket is provided at its sides with guide'disks 22? which may be secured to the sprocket as by means of bolts 22 tolassist in supportingand guiding the chains.

- The supporting means Disarranged at the end of the scow portion a opposite the supporting means G and comprises a shaft ing end of the upper timber 24, 'ai's'uitable bearing being there provided as at 24 The shafts2l and 26 being. so spaced, one at each end of the-scow portion a and the chains 19 rove about therespective sprockets 22 and 27, each chain 19 being rove about the pair of sprockets lying in its horizontal plane, the element B will be moved by the current and power may be taken from the shaft 21 through the pinion 2 5 and themeans V E, which means s shown as comprising a rotatable shaft 28 suitably journaledas at.

29and mounted upon alltimber or the like 30, and a gear 31 secured to the shaft 28. and meshing with the pinion .25. Near the, end of the power shaft'opposite the gear 31 a pulley 32 may be provided and such pul-'v g ley is adapted to transmit power to any suitable device by-ineans of a belt=33 passed about the same. f L

The means F is shown as comprisinga ,de fiector 34 which is in the formof a'shield extending into the water and arranged obliquely across the front end of the scow por- 1 tion aand suitably secured theretoso that water. which would otherwise impinge on the scow-is properly directed toward thevanes 20 on the impulse-receivingjside ele-'v mentB. ,-v f

The operation, method of use and advantages of' the invention will be readily drawing and the followingstatement: j The current motor being anchored as by means of cables extending to'the scow A v taken in connection with the accompanying understood "from the foregoingv disclosure or by. means of piles driven in proper posi-* tion to anchor the scow and permit the-same to rise and fall-with the level ofa stream in.

which the motor is installed, the-element B being disposed obliquely transversely ofthe stream the water of the stream will impinge on the vanes 20-as they successivelyround the sprockets 22 and suchimpingement of water will cause the hinge portions of the:

vanes, or the members 20' thereof to abut against the respective abutments 19 and thus propel the element B. As the vanes successively round the sprockets 27 at the rearward end of the scow portion a they wall automatically feather or be presented edgewise to the water as they are drawn forward on the idle side of the chains 19 to be again brought into working position after rounding the sprockets 22. The channel 9 accommodates the return movement of the vanes during feathering action. The de Hector 3% is arranged to direct the portions of the stream directly ahead of the scow at or toward the vanes so that the greatest possible power with a given installation may be obtained. By ballasting the box-like scow portions with water or other ballast the device may be submerged to the required depth in a stream. The power generated by the stream acting upon the element B is transmitted through the chains 19 to the sprockets 22 and the power shaft 21, through the pinion 25 and gear 81 and through the shaft 28 and its appurtenances.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A current motor comprising a barge portion, a series of superposed and horizontally disposed endless chains, guide members carried by thebarge portion and engaging the endless chains, corresponding links of the chains being formed with outwardly extending shoulders, vertically disposed shafts connecting the said links of the chains, hinge members applied to the shafts, and vertically disposed vanes applied to the hinge members, the before mentioned shoulders being arranged to limit the outward swinging movement of the vanes and hold them in impulse receiving position when moving in one direction.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM R. BAILEY.

itnesses FRANCIS L. ISGRIGG, J. SHUTT.

Copies of this-patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

